Case packer



A ril 14, 1910 H. c. flaws 3 3,505,787

CASE PACKER 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 4, 1968 I I w z M JUZ/F/VZXF H. C. T'IEWS CASE PACKER April l4, 1970 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 4, 1968 llllll INVENTOR.

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April 14,1970 HQ-ms 3, 05 1 1 CASE; PAQKER Filed March 4, 1968 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 United States Patent 3,505,787 CASE PACKER Henry C. Tiews, Framingham, Mass., assignor to The Lodge & Shipley Company, Cincinnati, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Filed Mar. 4, 1968, Ser. No. 710,102 Int. Cl. B65b 35/36 US. Cl. 53166 7 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Apparatus having a bottle conveyor, a case conveyor, and means for transporting bottles between the bottle conveyor and the case conveyor, the transporting means including a lifting head having pickup cups depending therefrom and a bottle guide carried by said lifting head for holding said bottles segregated from each other during transport between said bottle conveyor and said case conveyor and for guiding said bottles into said case.

This invention relates to case packers and more particularly to an improved method and apparatus for packing containers into cellular cases.

The case packers which are in common use today, usually for packing bottles, are generally of the drop type. In packers of this type, bottles are marshalled above a grid which forms a bottle guide and a case is located below the grid. Either the case is raised as close as possible to the grid or in some instances the grid may be lowered with respect to the case and when the bottles are in proper position under the cells of the case, a part of the grid is shifted allowing the bottles to drop by gravity into the cells of the case. The grid is provided with spring guide fingers to insure that each bottle is properly guided into its respective cell.

Even though in an apparatus of this type the grid structure is moved as close as possible to the case prior to the dropping of the bottles, as a matter of physical interference, the bottles must be dropped at least the height of the bottle plus an additional height resulting from the interference of the grid structure with the case. In most instances the minimum drop is approximately twice the height of the bottle.

Apparatus of this type, to be effective in operation, must be operated at relatively high speeds of operation. For example, the conventional drop packer must be operated at a speed of approximately 25 cases or drops per minute for a single grid structure. The necessity of operating the conventional machines at high rates of speed and the dropping action inherent in the operation of these machines gives rise to bottle and label damage. The extent of damage in practical operation both as to product loss as well as bottle loss has been a severe problem in the bottle industry for a considerable period of time. This problemhas become more severe in recent years with the advent of the nonreturnable bottle which is of much less rugged construction than conventional returnable bottles, and therefore, subject to greater breakage.

It has been proposed to alleviate the problem of loss of product and bottles due to breakage during the dropping action of the packing operation by utilizing apparatus wherein the bottles are picked up by lifting devices and gently deposited into the cases.

It has been an objective of the present invention to provide an improvement in a case packing apparatus of this type. In accordance with the present invention, the apparatus includes a group of individual lifting devices supported from above in a pattern corresponding generally to the pattern of the case cells into which the containers are to be deposited. Associated with the lifting devices is 3,505,787 Patented Apr. 14, 1970 ice a grid which provides a pattern of pockets corresponding to the pattern of lifting devices. The grid is vertically movable with respect to the lifting devices with each lifting device moving within or through a respective pocket to lift a container and carry it within a respective pocket.

In the operation of the invention, the grid and lifting devices move together to a position of substantial alignment over a group of marshalled containers. The apparatus effects the lifting of a pattern of containers out of the marshalled group in such a way that each container is encased or caged in a respective pocket in the grid. In this caged state, the containers are carried by the lifting devices to a position overlying a case and thereafter the articles are lowered, by the lifting devices, into the case.

There are several advantages to be derived from this cooperation of grid and lifting devices. First, the containers are individually maintained under control by being encased and separated from each other from the time that they are lifted at marshalling position to the time that they are deposited in the cases. It is, therefore, possible to pick up, move and deposit the containers quite rapidly with complete security against breakage from the articles banging into one another. Second, the cooperating combination eliminates the requirement of aligning suspended or dangling containers with case cells or with a grid positioned above the case cells prior to the deposit of the containers into the case cells. Instead, the present invention causes the containers, while under control, to be positioned within their respective guide pockets and remain within those respective guide pockets until the guide pockets themselves are aligned with the respective case cells.

Third, rather than dropping containers, out of control through a grid as in the drop acker, the present invention permits the containers to be drawn gently upwardly into the grid and thereafter lowered out of the grid with the containers always under control through the grasp of the lifting devices. Thus, among other things, label damage heretofore caused by a container sliding on a grid partition as it drops is eliminated.

Preferably, the pockets of the grid are formed in part by depending guide fingers which form an inwardly tapering outwardly flexible funnel below the grid. The guide fingers function principally to seek the individual case cells and guide the containers into them. Where the case cells are formed by a corrugated paperboard divider deposited within a case, the peripheral cells may be rather poorly formed by the freely projecting paperboard walls. In such instances, the guide fingers not only guide the containers into the cells, but actually participate in setting up the cell structure prior to the introduction of the containers into it.

It is also preferred that the lifting devices be supported in such a way as to permit lateral movement of the containers with respect to the associated grid. For example, the lifting devices could be supported from flexible tubes as shown, for example, in the Meierjohan Patent No. 2,695,190. This lateral movement is particularly valuable where the orientation of the containers at the marshalling position is different from the pattern which the containers will take when they are placed in the case cells. For example, the containers preferably are marshalled in abutting relation in the infeed direction. The containers will be spread apart by at least the thickness of the cell walls when they are deposited in the cases. The outermost containers are required to move laterally with respect to the pattern a distance of almost an inch in moving from the abutting relation of the marshalling station to the separated condition of the case cells. The lifting devices must have suflicient lateral movement to accommodate this.

The several features of the invention will become more readily apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic perspective view of apparatus in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view partly in cross section of the apparatus;

FIG. 3 is a front elevational view of a lifting head assembly of the invention taken along lines 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of a grid structure along lines 44 of FIG. 2; and

FIGS. 58 are side elevational views of the invention illustrating a sequence in steps in transferring bottles from a marshalling station to a case.

GENERAL ORGANIZATION AND OPERATION Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the packing apparatus is indicated generally at 9 and includes a frame 10 which supports a transfer conveyor mechanism 11 for the lifting assembly which includes a lifting head 12 and a grid or guide 13. A conveyor 14 passes within the frame 10 for conveying cases 15 to a bottle receiving position within the frame 10. An article or bottle conveyor 16 carries bottles 17 into the packer where they are held momentarily at a marshalling position 18 and are adapted to be picked up by the head 12.

The head 12 carries lifting cups 20 on flexible stems or tubes 21. While the cups of the type having an inflatable bladder within a rigid shell as shown in the Meierjohan and McHugh Patents Nos. 2,695,190 and 2,873,996 are preferred, it should be understood that the lifting devices 20 can also be of the type providing internal or external gripping fingers or can be suction cups.

The bottle guide or grid 13 having pockets 23 formed in part by guide fingers 24 depending from the pockets is supported below the lifting head with one pocket aligned with each lifting cup 20. Preferably the grid has vertical rods 26 slideably received in bushings 27 mounted on lifting head conveyor 12 so as to permit the grid 13 to move vertically relative to the lifting cups and to maintain its alignment with the lifting cups.

The position of the grid 13 with respect to the lifting head 12 is determined by a piston 28 and cylinder 29 mounted on each side of the assembly. The piston 28 is fixed at its lower end 30 to the grid 13 and the cylinder 29 is fixed at its upper end 31 to the lifting head 12 by means of the bearing block 28. The cylinder has hose connections 32 and 33 which are connected to an air supply through a double acting solenoid operated valve 34 (e.g. a valve which is controlled by two solenoids to effect one of two directions of flow depending on which solenoid is energized) which is controlled by limit switches whose operation is determined by the position of the lifting head 12 and will be described below.

In the general operation, the conveyor 11 brings the lifting head assembly 12 over the bottles at the marshalling station 18. Before engagement with the bottles, the lifting head 12 is at its lowermost position with respect to the grid 13 so that the lifting cups 20 are in a position to engage the tops of the bottles. As the conveyor descends, the lifting cups engage the tops of the bottles. As soon as the bottles are engaged, the flexible bladders of the cups 20 are inflated to grasp the tops of the bottles. Simultaneously, the air to the cylinder 29 is reversed to cause the guide 13 to move downwardly with respect to the lifting cups 20. As the guide moves downwardly, the conveyor 11 reverses its motion to move upwardly. In this manner, the relative movement of guide and lifting cups draws the bottles into the pockets 23 formed by the grid and guide fingers. In this condition the bottles are conveyed to a position overlying the case conveyor 14. While this action has taken place, cases 15 have been brought into position on the case conveyor and when the transfer conveyor overlies the case conveyors, the

suspended bottles and guide fingers are aligned with the case cells into which the bottles are to be deposited.

As the conveyor 11 descends, the funnel forming fingers 24 project into the case cells. After they have penetrated into the case cells approximately an inch, the grid 13 trips the limit switch LS-7 which again reverses the air to the cylinder 29 and causes the grid to move upwardly with respect to the bottles. The bottles continue to descend to the extent permitted by the movement of the conveyor 11. At the lowermost position of the conveyor 11, the bottles are just in engagement with the bottom of the case. At this position, the air to the head 12 is vented to atmosphere to relieve the grip on the bottles. The conveyor then reverses its movement to start a new cycle.

THE LIFTING AND GUIDE ASSEMBLY It is contemplated that from one to five lifting heads would be provided in a case packing machine. The lift ing heads are supported from a beam structure 40 as best shown in FIG. 2. The beam structure is carried by vertical supports 41 which are mounted on the conveyor 11 to be described in detail below.

Each lifting head 12 is preferably the same in all material respects as those described in the Meierjohan and McHugh patents and includes a manifold 43 from which the flexible tubes 21 are supported. The cups 20 are carried on the lower ends of the flexible tubes 21, the tubes and cups being arranged in a pattern corresponding to that of the case cells, as, for example, four rows of six cups each. A hose 44 is connected at one end to the manifold 43 and at the other to an air supply through a double acting solenoid valve 45 in order to supply air under pressure to the cups 20 and to effect the release of that air pressure.

As indicated, it is preferred to use the lifting cups 20 of the Meierjohan and McHugh patents to grasp the necks of the bottles. It should be understood, however, that the invention is not restricted to the lifting cups for different types of containers would require different types of de vices. For example, a wide mouth bottle application might suggest the use of internal gripping fingers such as are shown in Patent No. 3,075,800. Alternatively, some applications might suggest the use of external gripping fingers as shown in Patent No. 3,108,835. Still further, jars with flat tops might suggest the use of suction cups as the lifting devices.

Regardless of the container engaging structure of the lifting device, it is preferred that that structure be suspended in such a way as to permit lateral movement of the lifting device and container. As will be explained below, the containers normally will be marshalled in patterns which are slightly different dimensionally from the dimensions of the case cell patterns. The lifting devices will therefore be required to shift laterally a distance up to approximately one inch in order to permit a change in the dimension of the marshalled pattern of containers to permit the containers to align themselves for introduction into the case cells. The flexible hose support of the Meierjohan patent is an example of the type of lateral movement permitting suspension which is contemplated.

The head 12 supports the bushings 27 in which guide the rods 26 are slidea-bly mounted. The lower ends of the rods 26 are fixed to the grid 13. The grid is formed by a series of longitudinal members 46 intersected by transverse members 47 (FIG. 4). These members 46 and 47 together form the pattern of pockets 23 which are aligned with the pattern of cups 20. Depending from each pocket are the four guide fingers 24 which are flexible and which seek the respective cell into which a bottle is to be deposited and guide the bottle into the cell. The guide fingers are preferably flared outwardly at their lower ends to facilitate the movement of a bottle up into the pocket which they form and to avoid the ends of the fingers tearing the labels on the bottle. The

fingers may be at the sides of each grid pocket as shown, or may be at the corners of each grid pocket.

The guide fingers cooperating with the grid structure perform several functions in the container packing operation. First, they are adapted to spread apart to receive a container as the container is drawn upwardly into the pocket formed by the fingers. Second, the fingers encase or cage the containers after they have been drawn upwardly thereby participating in the maintaining of the containers segregated from each other during the transfer of the container from the marshalling position to the cases. Third, the fingers, during transfer, project below the lower ends of the containers and are tapered inwardly to provide a more or less pointed probe or guide which seeks the appropriate case cell into which the container caged within the fingers is to be deposited. In those instances where a flexible divider within a case does not precisely define a case cell, the tapered guide fingers will cam the divider walls to a proper cell defining position.

As indicated above, the grid 13 is supported from the head 12 by the double-acting piston and cylinder 28 and 29. The cylinder 29 is connected by the hoses 32 and 33 through a double-acting solenoid valve 34 to the air supply. The grid 13 is adapted to move upwardly with respect to the lifting head 12 when air is applied to the lower hose 32 and is adapted to move downwardly with respect to the head when air is supplied to the upper hose 33. The application of air to the respective hoses is determined by limit switches LS-3 and LS-7 as will be explained below.

THE BOTILE AND CASE CONVEYORS The bottle and case conveyors may be those which are conventionally used in marshalling bottles on the one hand and in conveying cases to the known uncasing apparatus on the other hand. Referring to the case conveyor 14, it is formed of two endless chains 55 and a stationary supporting plate 56 between the chains. The chains 55 carry vertical lugs 57 which are adapted to engage the trailing end of a case to push it into position. A timing mechanism, not shown, is used to stop the cases at a precise position underneath the transport mechanism 11 so that the cells shown at 58 are aligned with the pattern of guide fingers and cups of the lifting and guide assembly. A slightly alternative form of case conveyor could be that disclosed in the Rowekamp Patent No. 3,185,288. A limit switch LS-7 overlies the case conveyor 14 and is engageable by the grid 13 (FIG. 7) to reverse the air connection to cylinder 29. i

The bottle marshalling conveyor 16 may be a series of transverse bars secured to chains 61 to provide a con veyor table. "The bottles are carried by the conveyor table through elongated guide 62 up against stops 63. Means may be provided for engagement with the front row of the next incoming pattern of bottles to stop the flow of bottles while a pattern is being picked up and removed from the conveyor. Such mechanisms are commonly used in case packers (see, for example, the Rowekamp Patent No. 3,353,331).

CONVEYOR FOR THE HEAD ASSEMBLY The conveyor 11 for the head assembly includes two chains 70 passing around upper and lower sprockets 71 and 72. The upper sprockets are fixed to a shaft 73 journalled in a supporting frame 75. Similarly, the lower sprockets 72 are fixed to a shaft 76 journalled in the supporting frame 75. A pinion gear 78 is fixed to the center of the shaft 76 and meshes with a rack 79 slideable in ways 80. As shown in FIG. 2, the rack 79 is connected to a piston rod 81 which is driven by a double acting piston and cylinder assembly 82 which is controlled by a double acting solenoid valve 83. Thus, as the piston rod 81 reciprocates it, through the rack 79, causes the pinion 78 to rotate. The pinion rotates shaft 76 and in turn the sprocket and chain assembly. The rack 79 is engageable with limit switch LS2 at one end of its stroke and limit switch LS3 at the other end of its stroke.

The post 41 which carries the head assembly 12 is fixed at its upper end to the chain 70. Specifically, the chains 70 carry blocks 85 to which a transverse shaft 86 is fixed and the posts 41 are mounted on the blocks 85. A pantograph linkage 87 is connected to the blocks 85 to assure the proper vertical orientation of the post 41. The shaft 86 rides in vertical slots 88 in frame 75 during its vertical descent to provide further assurance of proper alignment in preventing skewing of the posts 41.

It will be observed, particularly with reference to FIGS. 2 and 7, that the conveyor 11 for the lifting head and guide provides for a vertical movement of the lifting head as it moves toward the bottles in the marshalling position and as it moves into the cases on the case conveyor. This vertical movement is particularly useful in view of the desirability of having the lifting head align itself properly with the marshalled bottles prior to engagement therewith and in view of the desirability of having the guide fingers 24 align themselves with case cells before the bottles are introduced into the case.

OPERATION The operation of the apparatus is controlled principally by the solenoid actuated valves 34 to the cylinder 29, 45 to the head 12, and 83 to the cylinder 82. These valves are controlled by the limit switches LS2, LS-3, and LS 7. Limit switch LS2 when actuated will cause the piston 81 to move to the left as viewed in FIG. 3 and will cause the head 12 to be vented to atmosphere. Limit switch LS3 when actuated will cause the piston 81 to move to the right, will cause the head 12 to be under pressure to grasp the containers, and will cause the grid 13 to move down. Limit switch LS-7 will cause the grid to move up.

Assuming that the elements of the apparatus are in the position illustrated in FIG. 2, the piston 81 is moving toward the left. The grid 13 is in its uppermost position. When in this position the cups 20 are thrust through the guide fingers 24 to spread them apart and to expose the lower ends of the cups for engagement with the containers, illustrated as bottles 17. A group of bottles has been moved by the conveyor 16 to the marshalling position illustrated at 18. Similarly, a case 15 having cells 58 has been moved by the conveyor 14 to a position alongside the marshalling position 18. When in this position the case can trip a limit switch or otherwise signal the apparatus that it is in position so as to avoid the possibility that the apparatus would drop a pattern of bottles on an empty space.

As the support 41 moves downwardly to its lowermost position, the necks of the bottles 17 are engaged within the cups 20. The piston 81 has moved to its leftmost position and trips limit switch LS3'. The operation of limit switch LS3 operates valve 34 reversing the air to cylinder 29* to cause the grid 13 to move down- Wardly with respect to the cups 20*. Simultaneously, the valve 83 is reversed to reverse the air in cylinder 82 thereby causing support 41 to move upwardly. Simultaneously, valve 45 is operated to cause the head 12 to become pressurized thereby inflating the bladders within the cups 20 and causing the cups to grasp the necks of the bottles. The condition of the apparatus at this instant is illustrated in FIG. 5. It should be noted that the flexible stems 21 which support the lifting cups 20 have permitted the outermost cups of the pattern to swing inwardly. This is required because the bottles of each file are in abutment when in the marshalling position. As the bottles are lifted from the marshalling position into the grid they will become spread apart to assume the pattern dictated by the pattern of cells in the case 15.

Immediately after these three changes, the apparatus attains the condition illustrated in FIG. 6- wherein the bottles have been drawn upwardly within the cages provided by the guide fingers 24 suspended by the grid 13. Thus, substantially simultaneously with the lifting of the bottles from the marshalling position each bottle becomes engaged in its own cage or pocket of the grid and is isolated from the adjoining bottles.

Through the movement of the piston 81 and rack 79, the support 41 is lifted from the marshalling position and moved over to a position above the case 15 with the pockets and bottles within those pockets aligned with the case cells. As the support 41 descends the tapered lower ends of the guides 24 project into the case cells. Because the ends of the guide fingers 24 are tapered, they present a much smaller area than the area presented by a cell and consequently seek the appropriate cell even if there is a slight misalignment of the dividers by which the cells are formed. As the guide fingers enter the case cells, the grid 13 engages limit switch LS-7 which, when operated, causes a reversal of the valve 34 to the cylinder 29. The grid 13 therefore immediately starts to move upwardly as the bottles carried by the lifting head 12 continue to move downwardly. This condition is illustrated in FIG. 8. This movement continues until the support 41 reaches its lowermost position at which time limit switch LS2 is contacted. When the support is in its lowermost position the bottles are just touching the bottom of the case or could be slightly above it. The actuation of limit switch LS2 causes the reversal of valve 45 to the head thereby venting the head 12 to atmosphere and causing the release of the bottles. Simultaneously, the valve 83- is reversed causing the piston 81 to begin to move toward the left to begin carrying the lifting assembly from the position overlying the case to a position overlying the marshalling station. When the lifting assembly attains the position of FIG. 2 the cycle repeats itself for, during the transfer from the marshalling station to the case and back, bottles have moved up to the marshalling station to replace those which were lifted out of the way.

I claim:

1. A case packer comprising,

an article guide having a grid forming a plurality of pockets for receiving articles,

a lifting head, means mounting said lifting head over said grid for vertical movement with respect to said grid,

a plurality of lifting devices depending from said lifting head and aligned with said pockets,

conveyor means for shifting said grid and lifting head between a pattern of articles and a case,

and means for moving said grid and lifting devices relative to each other to pass said lifting devices through said grid to pick up articles and hold them within said pockets,

and means for actuating said lifting devices to deposit said articles into a case when said grid is shifted to a position over a case.

2. A case packer according to claim 1 further comprising a plurality of guide fingers depending from said grid at each pocket thereof and partly defining said pocket,

the lower ends of said fingers being normally angulated toward each other to form a tapered guide for seeking and initially penetrating the cells of a case,

said moving means raising said lifting devices well above the lower ends of said fingers to support the articles well above said fingers, whereby said fingers seek their respective cells and thereafter guide their respective articles into such cells.

3. In apparatus having a case conveyor having means to stop a case in a packing position, and an article conveyor having means to stop articles at a marshalling position; a packing mechanism adjacent said conveyors for transferring articles from the article conveyor to a case on said case conveyor, said mechanism comprising a support,

means for moving said support between a pickup position overlying said marshalling position and a release position overlying said packing position,

a grid carried by said support and having a plurality of pockets oriented in the pattern in which said articles are to be deposited in said case,

a plurality of lifting devices depending from said support, each lifting deivce being aligned with a respective pocket in said grid,

and means for efiecting relative movement between said grid and lifting devices to encase said articles within said pockets and maintain them encased as said support moves between said positions.

4. Apparatus according to claim 3 in which said lifting means comprises at least one piston and cylinder connected betwen said lifting devices and said grid.

5. In apparatus having a case conveyor having means to stop a case in a packing position, and an article conveyor having means to stop articles at a marshalling position; a packing mechanism adjacent said conveyors for transferring articles from the article conveyor to a case on said case conveyor, said mechanism comprising a support,

means for moving said support between a pickup position overlying said marshalling position and a release position overlying said packing position,

a grid carried by said support and having downwardly depending guide fingers forming a plurality of pockets oriented in the pattern in which said articles are to be deposited in said case,

a plurality of lifting devices depending from said support, each lifting device being aligned with a respective pocket in said grid,

and means for effecting relative movement between said grid and lifting devices to draw said articles up into said pockets to encase said articles within said pockets and maintain them encased as said support moves between said positions.

6. In apparatus having a case conveyor having means to stop a case in a packing position, and an article conveyor having means to stop articles at a marshalling position; a packing mechanism adjacent said conveyors for transferring articles from the article conveyor to a case on said case conveyor, said mechanism comprising a support,

means for moving said support between a pickup position overlying said marshalling position and a release position overlying said packing position,

a grid carried by said support and having a plurality of pockets oriented in the pattern in which said articles are to be deposited in said case,

a plurality of lifting devices, flexible means suspending each lifting deivce from said support in alignment with a respective pocket in said grid,

and means for effecting relative movement between said grid and lifting devices to grasp said articles to encase said articles within said pockets and maintain them encased as said support moves between said positions,

said flexible means permitting said lifting devices to move laterally to accommodate a difference in the spacing of said articles in said marshalling position and said grid pockets.

7. Apparatus according to claim 6 in which each said lifting device comprises a rigid cup having an inflatable bladder, and a flexible tube connecting said cup to said 9 Q 10 support and providing an air conduit for inflating said THERON E. CONDON, Primary Examiner bladder. S

References Cited R. L. SPRUILL, Asslstant Exammer UNITED STATES PATENTS U. S. Cl. X.R.

2,807,125 9/1957 George 53-166 5 53-247 3,335,542 8/1967 Van Luxenborg 53-166 X 

